Courtesy of the Performing Arts Museum Victorian Arts Centre
Madeleine Castaing was famous for quoting exorbitant prices for items in her shop, either because she wasn't really interested in selling the piece or perhaps because she didn't want to sell it to you. What she did sell meter after meter of was her line of fabrics, manufactured by Hamot and currently still in production from Edmond Petit. (Clarence House are the stockists in the US.)
Courtesy of Edmond Petit"Lola Montez" is hands-down my favorite. Castaing was very creative with her upholstery and often used this as a border around the skirt of a chair or an edge of a curtain.
Courtesy of Sotheby's
But who is or was Lola Montez?
Born Eliza Rosanna Gilbert (1821-1861) in County Sligo, Ireland, Lola was a wild child sent from school to school until she eloped with a young officer at the age of sixteen. Alas, it was a disastrous match and Lola soon fled Calcutta(!) and reinvented herself as a Spanish dancer, debuting in London in 1843. Scandal followed Lola around Europe as she added various great men to her list of conquests, including Franz Liszt and Ludwig I, the king of Bavaria, who made her the Countess of Landsfeld.
Like many independent women of this time who lived life on their own terms, Lola died young and penniless. The highs were high and the lows low. This is an extremely condensed version of her life and it's worth reading more. OR seeing the movie which perhaps Mme Castaing also saw.
In 1955, Martine Carol played Lola Montès in the film directed by Max Ophüls. Although it is also possible that Castaing merely read the book La Vie Extraordinaire de Lola Montès by Cécil Saint Laurent on which the film was based, I like to think she did see the film. It portrays Lola at the end of her career, making ends meet by performing in a circus in which she recounts her past exploits. Peter Ustinov plays the ringmaster who refers to her as no less than a creature, a wild beast.
There is a surreal element to the circus scenes and their commentary on celebrity that would certainly have intrigued MC, who counted Cocteau among others as a close friend.
11 comments:
Emily! Grab a copy of the reissue of Lola's book "The Art of Beauty" which has recipes for cucumber lotion, and recommends squeezing valencia orange juice in your eyes to make them sparkle (ouch!). Her sachets for tying in hoopskirts (so when you curtsey, you poof clouds of lemon verbena in the air) are also a keeper. xo Nick
Oh Nick, You would know all about Lola! Am searching for the book imminently! EEE
Now I think I shall be naming my illustrations to give them a bit of mystery.
Love the story just as much as that wallpaper design.
Her name still looms large out here in California, of course. La Lola, belle of the Gold Rush! I've camped many times at Lakes Lola Montez (Upper and Lower), and we have Mount Lola (tee hee).
xoxo
Claudia
Emily- I love all the connections of this post-especially the Hollywood one. I have just discovered your blog and look forward to the book on Castaing- I have your other two.
I have been looking around for a fresh Castaing topic to blog about-do you think there might be one? PGT
Claudia - so astonishing how her reputation made it all the way out west! EEE
Well PGT - there are some MC things I'm saving for the book, but I would like to hear others write about why they are so drawn to her work and how it has influenced them... Looking forward to seeing what you come up with! EEE
She sounds fascinating. I now want to know all.
I adore everything about stories like these. Just as I adore everything about your new header. Divine!
Great post ! I love Castaing's style.I used a lot this fabric
Melanie, I would love to see pictures of how you used the fabric!!! EEE
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